U.K. duo brings fresh hip hop to States
By: Sommer Saadi, Staff Writer, ssaadi@smu.edu
Posted: 9/2/08
Visually, Dan le Sac and Scroobius Pip do not look like the music industry's chart-topping regulars. Pip is tall and lanky with a beard that would put even the most grizzly lumberjacks to shame. Dan le Sac, a little heavy-set and short, looks unsuspecting behind the Mac laptop that is key to the team's infectious, electro hip-hop beats.

Musically, le Sac vs. Pip is just as unprecedented and even more difficult to describe. So on their debut album "Angles" that drops today, they spell it out.

On the track "First Time We Met Musik," a strong example of the enigmatic rhythms and samples that characterize the duo, Pip declares their act is more "angsta rap" than gangsta rap.

On "Fixed," he laments that a lot of hip-hop artists today are pumping out the same monotonous beats, so he and Dan le Sac are out to fix hip hop as best they can.

On "Waiting For The Beat To Kick In" he trusts the "general public will open up to more than just an industry puppet."

With over four million views of their videos on YouTube, two hit singles on the U.K. charts ("Thou Shalt Always Kill," "Beat That My Heart Skipped"), and critically acclaimed performances earlier this year at Coachella, SXSW and Reading and Leads Festival, it seems the public is ready for the fresh sound of le Sac vs. Pip.

The team, brought together by MySpace, made their unusual name commonplace in the U.K. independent rap scene last year with its first single "Thou Shalt Always Kill." It was declared an underground anthem and the media, including The Guardian and NME, praised its smart, subversive lyrics.

The duo released its debut album in the U.K. on May 12, and nearly four months later are releasing an album under Sage Francis' Strange Famous Records.

The first single is "Look For The Woman," a lyrically haunting tale of losing interest in love perfectly paired with hypnotic beats. One of the album's best examples of lyrical genius is "Letter From God To Man," a social commentary that remains musically intact and just short of preachy.

In support of the album, le Sac vs. Pip will be touring in 19 U.S. cities over the next two months. Their live shows are just as polished as their album tracks, with seamless transitions, stage sets and props, and dialogue that always engages. And of course, plenty of beats to move to.

Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip will play the Pontiac Garage room at the Dallas House of Blues on Sept. 15. Tickets are $12.50 and can be bought through the HOB site.

Tue Sep 02, 2008 1:20 pm

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